Avernus
Locations article |image=Con 10.jpg |caption=Avernus in Defiance. |introduced= Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain (1996) |appearances= Blood Omen Defiance }} Avernus was a major city in Nosgoth that was visited as a playable location in both Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain and Legacy of Kain: Defiance at its height in the [[Events of Blood Omen|events of ''Blood Omen]]. The walled city was dominated by its large Cathedral and was ruled by its matriarch - Dimension Guardian Azimuth - who ruled the city as a religious autocracy with a secret cult at its heart. The City notably suffered tragedy in the ''[[Events of Blood Omen|events of ''Blood Omen]]'' as in the wake of the Corruption of the Pillars, Azimuth summoned Demons from the Demon Realm to attack the city and its inhabitants, resulting in the city being set aflame and much of it destroyed. Profile Avernus was first featured in Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain where the settlement was a playable location featured on maps. It appeared as a large walled city in eastern central Nosgoth, directly east of Vorador's Mansion, southeast of Uschtenheim, north of Willendorf and the Lake of Serenity and southwest of Stahlberg and the Plains of Blood. Only the cathedral was named on maps and the city was pictured as the Cathedral surrounded by walls, with little trace of the expansive city around it. Blood Omen Maps at The Lost Worlds (by Ben Lincoln) The Revived and Updated (Almost) Definitive LoK Maps Thread at the Square Enix Legacy of Kain Series Forums (by Baziel, Guilherme Coelho and Tenaya). The city was once ruled by the Matriarch of Avernus, Azimuth, who upon becoming tainted by the corruption of the pillars, began summoning Demons from other dimensions - presumably the Demon Realm - to attack the city. After defeating the Dark Eden triad in Threaten the Circle Kain was advised by Ariel to confront Azimuth but that to do so he would have to "rise and fall and find his salvation in between". Kain travelled to Avernus in the chapter Defeat Azimuth and found that much of the city had been reduced to ruins and set aflame, with the populace slaughtered or under attack by Demons - none of the devastation outside touched the Cathedral itself, which was apparently the source. Once within the Cathedral, Kain was able to explore a shadowy alternate dimension, "rise" through the Heaven realm to claim the Soul Reaver blade and "fall" through the Hell realm to find the Wraith armor. Finally Kain was able to confront Azimuth in her private chambers. Both of the items he had recovered from the Cathedral would come in useful against Azimuth who - unaware of the presence of both devices in her Cathedral - summoned Demons from bloody runes to combat Kain. When she was within range, a single strike of the Soul Reaver was sufficient to kill Azimuth. After he death Kain claimed her Third Eye Pandant pillar token and along with it found a time streaming device she had stolen from Moebius in order to gather demons from other ages. Kain immediately understood what Azimuth had been intending to do with the device, but did not realize that she had used it already, or why it was his salvation. Question and Answer with Amy Hennig at The Lost Worlds (by Ben Lincoln) Answers to questions from the Defiance team at the Eidos forums (by Chris@Crystal) Avernus Cathedral and Catacombs at Dark Chronicle (by Marie Tryhorn). Within the walls of the Cathedral he also uncovered the first clues as to the true nature of the corruption of the pillars in the Avernus Catacombs, where he found a secret altar dedicated to the worship of dark god "Hash'ak'gik". Legacy of Kain Secrets: Page 9 of 9 at SK: The Complete Guide To Legacy of Kain (archived at Dark Chronicle) BO1-Cutscene-BatFlight-AvernusCathedral-017.png BO1-Cutscene-BatFlight-AvernusCathedral-018.png BO1-Cutscene-BatFlight-AvernusCathedral-019.png BO1-Cutscene-BatFlight-AvernusCathedral-020.png BO1-Cutscene-BatFlight-AvernusCathedral-021.png BO1-Cutscene-BatFlight-AvernusCathedral-022.png BO1-Cutscene-BatFlight-AvernusCathedral-023.png BO1-Cutscene-BatFlight-AvernusCathedral-024.png BO1-Cutscene-BatFlight-AvernusCathedral-025.png BO1-Cutscene-BatFlight-AvernusCathedral-026.png BO1-Cutscene-BatFlight-AvernusCathedral-027.png BO1-Cutscene-BatFlight-AvernusCathedral-028.png BO1-Cutscene-BatFlight-AvernusCathedral-029.png BO1-Cutscene-BatFlight-AvernusCathedral-030.png BO1-Cutscene-BatFlight-AvernusCathedral-031.png BO1-Cutscene-BatFlight-AvernusCathedral-032.png BO1-Cutscene-BatFlight-AvernusCathedral-033.png BO1-Cutscene-BatFlight-AvernusCathedral-034.png BO1-Cutscene-BatFlight-AvernusCathedral-035.png BO1-Cutscene-BatFlight-AvernusCathedral-036.png BO1-Cutscene-BatFlight-AvernusCathedral-037.png BO1-Cutscene-BatFlight-AvernusCathedral-038.png BO1-Cutscene-BatFlight-AvernusCathedral-039.png BO1-Cutscene-BatFlight-AvernusCathedral-040.png BO1-Cutscene-BatFlight-AvernusCathedral-041.png BO1-Cutscene-BatFlight-AvernusCathedral-042.png Kain would subsequently use the time-streaming device to escape the Battle of the Last Stand in Stranded in Time, while the Soul Reaver went on to become Kain's iconic weapon. Avernus returned in Legacy of Kain: Defiance in the same time period, where as the city burned Vorador directed Raziel there, in search of the Heart of Darkness so that he could resurrect Janos Audron, apparently shortly after the visit of the younger Kain. Raziel's journey was only seen from when he reached Avernus Cathedral and none of the area outside was seen, although Raziel commented upon the "chaos" in the city. Raziel explored the Cathedral and found a sealed chamber with a warp gate leading to the Earth forge within the Vampire Citadel where Raziel was able to imbue the Wraith Blade with elemental Earth - creating the Earth Reaver. Returning to the main cathedral area, Raziel was able to use an Earth plinth to summon Earth platforms so he could reach the higher balconies of the Cathedral where he could discover the Dark Scripture. Using the scripture on the altar opened a portal leading to the 'hellish' Avernus Catacombs, where he found evidence of Hylden involvement in the secret religion of Avernus and their side of the Elder Wars and 'dual champion' prophecy. Now virtually convinced he was the Hylden champion, Raziel ran into Mortanius who was conducting a ceremony worshipping the unseen Hash'ak'gik over a murky pit along with a group of Cenobites. Curious to see the entity, Raziel approached the edges and was telekinetically dragged into the pit with to find his monstrously devolved brother Turel - periodically possessed by several Hylden and used as the voice of 'Hash'ak'gik to command their disciples. Battling with possession by the Hylden, Turel vaguely explained the circumstances of his capture while various Hylden struggled to communicate with Raziel and warn him of the coming of the Vampire champion. Believing he needed Blood to gather the strength to get rid of the Hylden influence - and not aware that Raziel was no longer a creature of flesh and blood because he was blind - Turel attacked his brother but was defeated: finally gifting Raziel the Amplified Force Projectile and the Enhanced telekinesis ability. Afterward Raziel got the chance to talk to Mortanius, intermittently possessed by the Hylden Lord, who told him that he had placed the Heart of Darkness inside Kain to turn him into a vampire in the first place, believing he was creating the vampire champion. Amplified Force Projectile at The Lost Worlds (by Ben Lincoln) Turel at The Lost Worlds (by Ben Lincoln) Meanwhile The Elder Kain - warned of Raziel progress and his journey to Avernus by the Elder God had travelled through time, worried about what would happen if Raziel found the Heart and entered the Cathedral himself and as Raziel left, he found Kain entering the Cathedral. Supposedly fulfilling the prophecy of the champions final battle, Raziel attacked Kain and won, tearing the heart out of Kain, blasting him through a portal between realms and leaving him to die before returning to Vorador's Mansion to use the heart to attempt to bring Janos back to life. Kain would later wake in the Demon Realm, finding himself in Turel's pit assailed by demons. He was able to escape and return to the Material Realm and after battling his way out of the Cathedral, Kain returned to the Vampire Citadel, feeling the pull of the Spirit Forge. Environment Design and Layout The main area of Avernus City appeared on maps as a square walled city with the Cathedral at its heart. This was not completely represented in game which showed an area is made up of four square map areas arranged vertically in an extended rectangle, each densely populated with a network of houses which clearly overspilled beyond the map edges. In each square only a small number of houses were actually accessible and barrier across streets made frequent trip into dungeons, basements and sewers necessary to cross the city. BO1-Map0035-Sect01-AvernusCity-Exterior.png BO1-Map0035-Sect05-RuinedAvernus-ExteriorD.png BO1-Map0035-Sect04-RuinedAvernus-ExteriorC.png BO1-Map0035-Sect03-RuinedAvernus-ExteriorB.png BO1-Map0035-Sect02-RuinedAvernus-ExteriorA.png BO1-Map0035-Sect07-AvernusCathedralTop-ExteriorB.png BO1-Map0035-Sect06-AvernusCathedralTop-ExteriorA.png BO1-Map0035-Sect17-AvernusCathedralBottom-ExteriorB.png BO1-Map0035-Sect16-AvernusCathedralBottom-ExteriorA.png Main City The main city was the first area seen and it consisted of a square of a the unblemished city, with houses and fountains in pristine condition, populated with villagers and Blue swordsmen. Ruined City The ruined city was the next square down and consisted of an area of the city that was heavily damaged. Gory remains and corpses were strewn around, houses bore a variety of rips, tears and holes, with some even collapsing to some degree and many were aflame. Enemies now included Shadows and Demons. Though not readily apparent, the accessible ruined city was split into four passages in the north, east, south and west - each linked to its nearest neighbors by underground passages. Two further ruined areas were positioned to the south for the area surrounding the top half and the bottom half of the cathedral. These were both dominated by the central Cathedral, but were also surrounded by ruined houses and blocked streets. Again these were each divided into two sections, each covering a smaller area above ground and linked by underground passages and tunnels. Avernus Cathedral The City of Avernus was dominated by the cathedral at its center which overshadowed the entire city. In Blood Omen, Kain approached the Cathedral through the ruined city and was able to walk outside before entering, whereas in Defiance only the inside of the Cathedral was seen, although it was implied that both Kain and Raziel had been outside. The Cathedral interior was split into several dimensions, realms and themed dungeons. In Blood Omen Kain entered the Cathedral and was able to pass between the main Material Realm and a shadowy alternate dimension before, 'rising' to the Heaven realm, 'falling' to the Hell realm and finally confronting Azimuth in her chambers. He could also discover the secret altar of Hash'ak'gik in the Avernus Catacombs. In Defiance Raziel passed through the main cathedral and used the subterranean earth forge portal area to reach the Earth forge before returning and using the Earth Reaver to reach the Dark Scripture and use it to open a portal to the subterranean Avernus Catacombs which culminated in a pit containing the dark god Hash'ak'gik and a chamber used by Mortanius. Interiors and Connections The layout of the Avernus city area maps and interiors is incredibly complex and not easily illustrated. Most areas of Avernus are listed in game files under the "Map0035" designation. Several different designations exist for the internal areas and dungeons inside Avernus Cathedral, covering the "Map 0009", "Map 0036", "Map 0037", "Map 0038" designation and and parts of "Map 0005".See notes The City BO1-Map0035-Sect01-AvernusCity-Exterior.png BO1-Map0035-Sect00-AvernusCity-HouseA.png BO1-Map0035-Sect42-AvernusCity-HouseC.png BO1-Map0035-Sect41-AvernusCity-HouseB.png BO1-Map0035-Sect43-AvernusCity-HouseD.png BO1-Map0035-Sect44-AvernusCity-HouseE.png BO1-Map0035-Sect92-AvernusCity-HouseG.png BO1-Map0035-Sect93-AvernusDungeon1-CityG-RuinedA.png BO1-Map0035-Sect94-RuinedAvernus-HouseA.png The regular city area is listed as "Sect 01" with the interiors listed as: * "Sect 00" (or "A" in the Prima guide) for the northern house containing the save altar. * "Sect 42"/''"C"'' for the house west of the fountain. * "Sect 41"/''"B"'' for the house east of the fountain. * "Sect 43"/''"D"'' for the house in the eastern passage. * "Sect 44"/''"E"'' for the first house in the southern passage. * The second house in the southern passage ("92"/''"G") leads down some stairs into an underground dungeon ("93") and upstairs to another house ("94"/''"A") which opens out into the eastern 'Ruined City' area ("02"). The Ruined City The Ruined City area is actually made up of four different outdoor maps relating to different accessible sections of the map. *The first encountered is the eastern section ("02") which contains: BO1-Map0035-Sect02-RuinedAvernus-ExteriorA.png BO1-Map0035-Sect94-RuinedAvernus-HouseA.png|north house BO1-Map0035-Sect93-AvernusDungeon1-CityG-RuinedA.png|north house BO1-Map0035-Sect92-AvernusCity-HouseG.png|north house BO1-Map0035-Sect70-RuinedAvernus-HouseI-McCullock'sTavern.png|west house BO1-Map0035-Sect71-RuinedAvernus-HouseI-HouseJ-Basement.png BO1-Map0035-Sect72-RuinedAvernus-HouseJ.png BO1-Map0035-Sect12-RuinedAvernus-MistHouseBI.png|Mist Trail entrance BO1-Map0035-Sect13-RuinedAvernus-MistHouseBI-Crack.png|Mist Trail BO1-Map0035-Sect45-RuinedAvernus-HouseB.png BO1-Map0035-Sect62-RuinedAvernus-HouseC.png BO1-Map0035-Sect61-RuinedAvernus-HouseC-HouseD-Basement.png BO1-Map0035-Sect60-RuinedAvernus-HouseD.png **A house in the north ("94"/''"A") which led back towards the regular city. **A house in the west ("70"/''"I")- signposted as McCullock's Tavern - led downstairs to a basement ("71") leading to a house ("72"/''"J") in the northern section ("03"). **A boarded up house in the center ("12") led through a to a mist associated dungeon area. **The house in the east ("45"/''"B") was self-contained. **A house in the south ("62"/''"C") led down through a basement ("61") to a house ("60"/''"D") in the southern section ("04"). *The southern section ("04") contained: BO1-Map0035-Sect04-RuinedAvernus-ExteriorC.png BO1-Map0035-Sect60-RuinedAvernus-HouseD.png BO1-Map0035-Sect61-RuinedAvernus-HouseC-HouseD-Basement.png BO1-Map0035-Sect62-RuinedAvernus-HouseC.png BO1-Map0035-Sect47-RuinedAvernus-HouseF.png BO1-Map0035-Sect64-RuinedAvernus-HouseG.png BO1-Map0035-Sect65-RuinedAvernus-HouseG-HouseH-Basement.png BO1-Map0035-Sect66-RuinedAvernus-HouseH.png **A House in the east ("60"/''"D") which led back toward the eastern section. **A self-contained house in the center ("47"/''"F"). **A house in the west ("64"/''"G") led down through a basement area ("65") to a house ("66"/''"H") in the western section.("05"). *The western section ("05") contained: BO1-Map0035-Sect05-RuinedAvernus-ExteriorD.png BO1-Map0035-Sect66-RuinedAvernus-HouseH.png BO1-Map0035-Sect65-RuinedAvernus-HouseG-HouseH-Basement.png BO1-Map0035-Sect64-RuinedAvernus-HouseG.png BO1-Map0035-Sect96-RuinedAvernus-HouseN.png BO1-Map0035-Sect97-AvernusDungeon2-RuinedN-TopCathyA.png BO1-Map0035-Sect98-CathyExtTop-HouseA.png|Avernus city interiors BO1-Map0035-Sect14-RuinedAvernus-MistHouseN.png|Mist Trail BO1-Map0035-Sect15-RuinedAvernus-MistHouseN-Crack.png|Mist Trail BO1-Map0035-Sect76-RuinedAvernus-HouseM.png BO1-Map0035-Sect75-RuinedAvernus-HouseL-HouseM-Basement.png BO1-Map0035-Sect74-RuinedAvernus-HouseL-AvernusArmory.png **A house in the south ("66"/''"H") which led back towards the southern section. **A house in the west ("96"/''"N") led down to a dungeon ("97") and up to a house ("98"/''"A") which led on to the northern section of the Avernus Cathedral exterior. ** A boarded up house in the center ("14") led through a to a mist associated dungeon area. **A house in the north ("76"/''"M") led down to a basement area ("75") and up to a house ("74"/''"L") in the northern section.("03") *The northern section ("03") contained: BO1-Map0035-Sect03-RuinedAvernus-ExteriorB.png BO1-Map0035-Sect74-RuinedAvernus-HouseL-AvernusArmory.png BO1-Map0035-Sect75-RuinedAvernus-HouseL-HouseM-Basement.png BO1-Map0035-Sect76-RuinedAvernus-HouseM.png BO1-Map0035-Sect46-RuinedAvernus-HouseK.png BO1-Map0035-Sect72-RuinedAvernus-HouseJ.png BO1-Map0035-Sect71-RuinedAvernus-HouseI-HouseJ-Basement.png BO1-Map0035-Sect70-RuinedAvernus-HouseI-McCullock'sTavern.png **A house in the west of the northern section ("74"/''"L") - signposted as the Avernus Armory - which led back through a basement towards the western section. **A self-contained central house ("46"/''"K"). **A house in the east ("72"/''"J") led down to a basement area ("71") which led up to a house ("70") in the eastern section. Upper Cathedral Exterior The top Cathedral section was made up of two different outdoor maps relating to different accessible sections of the area - along the north ("06") and east ("07") of the cathedral - these contained: BO1-Map0035-Sect06-AvernusCathedralTop-ExteriorA.png BO1-Map0035-Sect98-CathyExtTop-HouseA.png|Avernus city interiors BO1-Map0035-Sect97-AvernusDungeon2-RuinedN-TopCathyA.png BO1-Map0035-Sect96-RuinedAvernus-HouseN.png BO1-Map0035-Sect26-AvernusCathedralExtTop-HouseD.png BO1-Map0035-Sect36-AvernusCathedralExtTop-HouseD-HouseE-Basement.png BO1-Map0035-Sect27-AvernusCathedralExtTop-HouseE.png BO1-Map0035-Sect07-AvernusCathedralTop-ExteriorB.png *A house in the west of the northern section ("98"/''"A") which led down to a basement ("97") and back up to a house ("96"/''"N") in the western section of the ruined city area.("05") *A house in the east led ("26"/''"D") down to a basement ("36") which led up to a house ("27"/''"E") in the eastern section ("07"). *The main trail in the eastern section led south to the lower section of the Cathedral. Lower Cathedral Exterior The lower cathedral exterior was also made up of two different outdoor maps relating to different accessible sections of the map - along the east ("17") and south ("16") of the cathedral - these contained: BO1-Map0035-Sect17-AvernusCathedralBottom-ExteriorB.png BO1-Map0035-Sect24-AvernusCathedralExtBottom-HouseB.png BO1-Map0035-Sect23-AvernusCathedralExtBottom-HouseB-HouseC-Basement.png BO1-Map0035-Sect25-AvernusCathedralExtBottom-HouseC.png BO1-Map0035-Sect16-AvernusCathedralBottom-ExteriorA.png BO1-Map0035-Sect20-AvernusCathyExtBottom-MistHouseC.png|Mist Trail BO1-Map0035-Sect22-AvernusCathyExtBottom-MistHouseC-Crack.png|Mist Trail *the main trail led in eastern section ("17") had led down from the eastern section of the upper Cathedral area ("07") and led down to a house in the south east ("24"/''"B") which led downstairs to a basement area ("23") which led back up to a house ("25"/''"C") in the southern section ("16"). *A boarded up house in the east ("20") led through a to a mist associated dungeon area. *The main trail headed into the main area of Avernus Cathedral ("Map 0036 Sect 00"). Mist Dungeon Area A secret Mist Form associated dungeon spanned the area beneath the city. It could be entered by using Mist Form to breach the entrance of one of three different boarded up houses: BO1-Map0035-Sect02-RuinedAvernus-ExteriorA.png BO1-Map0035-Sect12-RuinedAvernus-MistHouseBI.png|Mist Trail BO1-Map0035-Sect13-RuinedAvernus-MistHouseBI-Crack.png|Mist Trail BO1-Map0035-Sect11-RuinedAvernus-Dungeon1-MistBI-MistN-MistD2.png|Mist Trail Dungeon BO1-Map0035-Sect21-RuinedAvernus-Dungeon2-MistD1-CathyBottomMistC.png|Mist Trail Dungeon BO1-Map0035-Sect05-RuinedAvernus-ExteriorD.png BO1-Map0035-Sect14-RuinedAvernus-MistHouseN.png|Mist Trail BO1-Map0035-Sect15-RuinedAvernus-MistHouseN-Crack.png|Mist Trail BO1-Map0035-Sect11-RuinedAvernus-Dungeon1-MistBI-MistN-MistD2.png|Mist Trail Dungeon BO1-Map0035-Sect21-RuinedAvernus-Dungeon2-MistD1-CathyBottomMistC.png|Mist Trail Dungeon BO1-Map0035-Sect16-AvernusCathedralBottom-ExteriorA.png BO1-Map0035-Sect20-AvernusCathyExtBottom-MistHouseC.png|Mist Trail BO1-Map0035-Sect22-AvernusCathyExtBottom-MistHouseC-Crack.png|Mist Trail BO1-Map0035-Sect21-RuinedAvernus-Dungeon2-MistD1-CathyBottomMistC.png|Mist Trail Dungeon BO1-Map0035-Sect11-RuinedAvernus-Dungeon1-MistBI-MistN-MistD2.png|Mist Trail Dungeon *The boarded up house in the center of the eastern section of the ruined city ("12") led through a permeable crack to another chamber ("13") where a staircase led down to a northeastern entrance the upper dungeon area ("11"). A Permeable door in the south led to a lower dungeon area ("21"). *The boarded up house in the center of the western section of the ruined city ("14") led through a permeable crack to another chamber ("15") where a staircase led down to a northwestern entrance the upper dungeon area ("11"). A Permeable door in the south led to a lower dungeon area ("21"). *The boarded up house in the east of the southern section of the lower cathedral exterior ("20") led through a permeable crack to another chamber ("22") where a staircase led down to a southeastern entrance the lower dungeon area ("21"). A Permeable door in the northwest led to the upper dungeon area ("11"). Avernus Cathedral In Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, The main Avernus Cathedral areas were listed under the "Map 0036" designation, with "Map 0036 Sect 00" representing the main Material Realm body of the Cathedral. Several other areas could be reached from here: *The main doorway led outside to the lower cathedral exterior map area, southern section ("Map 0035 Sect 16") *Teleporters led to the Alternate Dimension ("Sect 01") and teleporters there led back to the material realm. *The initial doorway led through to a room containing a Save altar ("02"). *The top left doorway led through to the Heaven Dungeon areas (at "Map 0037 Sect 10"). *The top right doorway led through to the Hell Dungeon (at "Map 0038 Sect 43"). *The top middle doorway led through to the Azimuth's chambers. The first chamber with the stained glass window ("Map 0036 Sect 10") led through to a chamber with a save altar ("Map 0036 Sect 11") and onto a smaller chamber where Azimuth first met Kain ("Map 0005 Sect 11"). The main boss arena ("Map 0005 Sect 02") was followed by two square chambers containing a Time-streaming device ("Map 0005 Sect 13") and a final Save altar chamber ("Map 0036 Sect 03") with a teleporter which led outside the southern exit of the city (to "Map 0001 Sect 56"). *A secret doorway in the southern wall of the top-right side chamber of the cathedral led through the top bridge of the 'descending shaft' chamber in the Hell dungeon ("Map 0038 Sect 52") to a winding passage ("Map 0009 Sect 01") which led into the altar of Hash'ak'gik ("Map 0009 Sect 00"). In Legacy of Kain: Defiance, the main Cathedral areas are listed under the "Avernus" designation in Debug menus, with "Avernus 1a" (and "99a") representing the main body of the Cathedral. Several other area can be reached from here: *The main Cathedral doors lead back to Vorador's Mansion for Raziel and the Vampire Citadel for Kain. *The passages either side of the altar lead through to a sealed door leading to Earth Forge portal room ("2a"). A warp gate here leads to the Earth forge. *The central Earth plinth spawns Earth platforms allowing Raziel to reach a high balcony containing the Dark Scripture. *The Dark Scripture opens a portal to the Avernus Catacombs ("3a"-''"6a") when placed in the main altar. Subterranean corridors ("3a"'' and "4a") lead on from here to Turel's pit ("5a"), where a portal leads to the Demon Realm ("6a"). Development As with other recurring areas, The design of Avernus Cathedral areas in Legacy of Kain: Defiance was heavily influenced by the appearance of the rooms seen in Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain. Art Director Daniel Cabuco elaborated: Pillars of Nosgoth areas at DCabDesign (by Bazielim), post #2 (by Daniel Cabuco)}} The architecture of the Avernus was acknowledged to have been greatly influenced by medieval Cathedral architecture in the real world and included a combination of various French, Italian and Spanish influences, with items identified from several real-world Cathedrals such as "Florence Baptistery doors, Notre Dame Paris Cathedral rose window, Palau de la Generalitat in Barcelona fasade, Pere Lachaise cemetary figures". The catacombs beneath Paris were also used as an inspiration for the Avernus Catacombs. A Few Questions at DCabDesign (by Paradoks), post #6 (by Daniel Cabuco) Nosgoth architecture at DCabDesign (by Lexy), post #3/post#5 (by Daniel Cabuco) Cabuco commented: Nosgoth architecture at DCabDesign (by Lexy), post #3/post#5 (by Daniel Cabuco)}} Nosgoth architecture at DCabDesign (by Lexy), post #3/post#5 (by Daniel Cabuco)}} The Avernus Cathedral and Catacombs in Defiance had several areas removed from the game before completion due to timing and budgetary constraints, with some of of these deleted areas visible in concept art and Bonus materials. Ultimately the Defiance version of Avernus Cathedral and Catacombs is left as a much smaller area than the Blood Omen version of the Cathedral, and one of the smallest areas in the game. Avernus Cathedral Deleted Areas at The Lost Worlds (by Ben Lincoln) Apocrypha The destruction of Avernus was mentioned in the backstory to Nosgoth with the background of the Lost Seers of Avernus revealing them as descendants of a divinatory order of Cenobites known as "the Prophets" who had fled Avernus in shock at Azimuth's actions - taking rare treasures and artefacts from the cathedral and catacombs as they did. 'New Human Class - The Prophet, aka The Lost Seers of Avernus at the Nosgoth official blog (by George Kelion) preserved at Tales of Nosgoth/Nosgothic Realm The origins of the Prophets mean they are related to the religious groups and Cenobites seen in Avernus, particularly the mages and Black mages seen in Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain and the Cenobite acolytes and Cenobite summoners seen in Legacy of Kain: Defiance. They are also related to the Witches and Witches' coven deleted from Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain and the Demon worshippers removed fron Soul Reaver 2. Blood Omen Scripts at The Lost Worlds (by Ben Lincoln)Electronic Gaming Monthly, August 2000 issue Vampires (Soul Reaver 2) at The Lost Worlds (by Ben Lincoln) Notes BO1-Render-BatFlight-Avernus.png|Avernus Vistas Defiance-Texture-VoradorMansion-Vista.png Defiance-Texture-VampireCitadel-VistaAvernus.png Defiance-Texture-VampireCitadel-VistaEarlyHistory.png Defiance-Texture-VampireCitadel-VistaAvernus2.png *Avernus appears to be named after a volcanic crater in Cumae, Italy - believed to be the entrance to the Underworld in Roman mythology and later known a synonym for the underworld itself. Avernus at Wikipedia. Lake Avernus at Wikipedia. *Avernus is notably populated by by guards|Blue swordsmen and Blue poleaxe-wielders. Those soldiers are rarely seen elsewhere, perhaps suggesting that the blue colour is associated with the military of Avernus - similar to the way white armor is associated with Willendorf's Army of the Last Hope and red with the Legions of the Nemesis. *The Ruined City area and the external area of the Cathedral in Blood Omen conserve memory by using several exact copies of the same map area which appear to be identical but each only contains active elements in the areas immediately around the player - with "Map 0035 Sect 02", "Sect 03", "Sect 04" and "Sect 05" presenting alternates of the Ruined City area, "Sect 06" and "Sect 07" presenting alternates of the top of the Cathedral and "Sect 16" and "Sect 17" presenting alternates of the bottom of the Cathedral. Similar tricks are used in areas such as the main 'descending shaft of the Hell dungeon and the Spirit Wrack Dungeon. *Avernus is one of the largest areas in Blood Omen and is listed under several different map designations in files. The main area of the city and its interiors are labelled under "Map 0035", the regular Cathedral interior is "Map 0036", the Heaven dungeon is "Map 0037" and the Hell dungeon is "Map 0038" and the secret altar of Hash'ak'gik is "Map 0009" - with the final areas of the Cathedral listed under the "Map 0005" designation used for bosses (specifically "Sect 11", "Sect 02" and "Sect 13"). Map Survey at The Lost Worlds (by Ben Lincoln). For more detailed interior designations, see Interiors and Connections In Defiance the cathedral areas are split into several distinct map areas, with "Avernus 99a" relating to the main area of the Cathedral, "Avernus 1a" referring to the main Cathedral as it appears in the Raziel/Kain boss battle, "Avernus 2a" relating to the Earth forge warp gate room. The areas from "Avernus 3a" to "Avernus 6a" all refer to the Avernus Catacombs, with "Avernus 3a" refers to initial corridors and trails surrounding the first clearing area, "Avernus 4a" refers to the corridors and trails surrounding the second clearing area, "Avernus 5a" refers to Turel's pit and Mortanius's chambers, and "Avernus 6a" refers to the Demon Realm alternate of Turel's pit. *The Developers' level select uses the label "AVCI" for the Avernus city area under the "OL7" designation that relates to the Defeat Azimuth chapter. The labels "AVCL", "HEVN" and "HELL" under the same entry relate to the Cathedral, Heaven and Hell areas respectively. Additionally the the "AZ" designation under "BOSS" can be used to reach the Azimuth boss battle and the Secrets ("SECR") entries numbered "38" and "82" to "86" all lead to areas inside Avernus - only "38" is positioned inside the Cathedral and it links to the passage leading to the altar of Hash'ak'gik. The secrets "82" to "86" all relate to the Secret Mist Form trail through the ruined city, with "82" relating to the mist house in the eastern section, "84" relating to the mist house in the western section and "85" relating to the mist house in the lower cathedral exterior area. Secrets "83" and "86" relate to items in the upper and lower mist dungeon areas respectively. Blood Omen Developers Level Select Page at The Lost Worlds (by Ben Lincoln). BO1-Map0035-Sect06-AvernusCathedralTop-ExteriorA.png|The top of Avernus Cathedral in game (BO1) BO1-Map0035-Sect17-AvernusCathedralBottom-ExteriorB.png|the bottom of the Cathedral (BO1) BO1-Cutscene-BatFlight-AvernusCathedral-027.png|The Cathedral in bat flight Con 10.jpg|''Defiance'' concept art of the Cathedral Defiance-Texture-Citadel-RazAvernusVision.png|The Cathedral as seen in the Oracle's pool Defiance-Mansion-AvernusVista.png|The Cathedral seen from Vorador's Mansion Defiance-Texture-Mansion-AvernusVista-Close.png|The Cathedral seen from Vorador's Mansion *''Legacy of Kain: Defiance: Prima's Official Strategy Guide'' states that the Cenobites seen in Legacy of Kain: Defiance were actually heavily involved in the day-to-day running and administration of the city - they were usuallty considered "a benevolent priestly order. Outwardly they care for the people of Avernus by providing basic law enforcement, health care and political representation. However appearances can be deceiving. Below the surface halls of their kind philanthropic Cathedral lie miles of secret halls and temples dedicated to their long hidden blood god. Their depravity runs as deep as their secret halls, conducting in forbidden dark arts and kidnapping hapless travelers to feed their monster god.". In the main Cathedral area in Blood Omen, Kain's main enemies were the priest-like Black mages who wore dark hooded robes and used magic. In Defiance, no such enemies are seen and the only human enemies seen were the classes of Cenobites dressed in white robes with golden straps/trim and a golden mask. With the Cenobites ultimately fulfilling a similar role within the Cathedral hierarchy to that of the mages, it may be considered likely that the Cenobites were the same people as the mages, only dressed in the more secretive attire associated with the Hash'ak'gik cult. *The external appearance of Avernus Cathedral is not presented consistently and even varies within the same title, leaving the actual canon appearance and features of the Cathedral unclear. Similarly the appearance of the city itself also varies with the city present on maps as a large square walled city, whereas only a rectangular cross section is seen in game. *There is evidence that some of the other events of the series may take place in Avernus: Mortanius' punishment of Malek is shown in a darkened room where Malek's body is left a chained skeleton - this closely matches a scene Kain discovers in the Hell realm of Avernus. Mortanius' offer to Kain also takes place in an environment that resembles the Avernus Catacombs as seen in Defiance. *The presence of the Earth forge underneath Avernus Cathedral suggests that the Cathedral and possibly the city itself were built on the existing Ancient Vampire ruins. *''Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain'' maps notably do not actually mention Avernus itself - despite it being one of the largest settlements in the game. The City is instead pictured as little more than the Cathedral surrounded by walls, with only "Avernus Cathedral" labelled. BO1-Map0035-Sect00-AvernusCity-HouseA.png BO1-Map0035-Sect42-AvernusCity-HouseC.png BO1-Map0035-Sect41-AvernusCity-HouseB.png BO1-Map0035-Sect43-AvernusCity-HouseD.png BO1-Map0035-Sect44-AvernusCity-HouseE.png BO1-Map0035-Sect92-AvernusCity-HouseG.png BO1-Map0035-Sect93-AvernusDungeon1-CityG-RuinedA.png BO1-Map0035-Sect94-RuinedAvernus-HouseA.png BO1-Map0035-Sect45-RuinedAvernus-HouseB.png BO1-Map0035-Sect12-RuinedAvernus-MistHouseBI.png|Mist Trail BO1-Map0035-Sect13-RuinedAvernus-MistHouseBI-Crack.png|Mist Trail BO1-Map0035-Sect62-RuinedAvernus-HouseC.png BO1-Map0035-Sect61-RuinedAvernus-HouseC-HouseD-Basement.png BO1-Map0035-Sect60-RuinedAvernus-HouseD.png BO1-Map0035-Sect47-RuinedAvernus-HouseF.png BO1-Map0035-Sect64-RuinedAvernus-HouseG.png BO1-Map0035-Sect65-RuinedAvernus-HouseG-HouseH-Basement.png BO1-Map0035-Sect66-RuinedAvernus-HouseH.png BO1-Map0035-Sect14-RuinedAvernus-MistHouseN.png|Mist Trail BO1-Map0035-Sect15-RuinedAvernus-MistHouseN-Crack.png|Mist Trail BO1-Map0035-Sect76-RuinedAvernus-HouseM.png BO1-Map0035-Sect75-RuinedAvernus-HouseL-HouseM-Basement.png BO1-Map0035-Sect74-RuinedAvernus-HouseL-AvernusArmory.png BO1-Map0035-Sect46-RuinedAvernus-HouseK.png BO1-Map0035-Sect72-RuinedAvernus-HouseJ.png BO1-Map0035-Sect71-RuinedAvernus-HouseI-HouseJ-Basement.png BO1-Map0035-Sect70-RuinedAvernus-HouseI-McCullock'sTavern.png BO1-Map0035-Sect96-RuinedAvernus-HouseN.png BO1-Map0035-Sect97-AvernusDungeon2-RuinedN-TopCathyA.png BO1-Map0035-Sect98-CathyExtTop-HouseA.png|Avernus city interiors BO1-Map0035-Sect26-AvernusCathedralExtTop-HouseD.png BO1-Map0035-Sect36-AvernusCathedralExtTop-HouseD-HouseE-Basement.png BO1-Map0035-Sect27-AvernusCathedralExtTop-HouseE.png BO1-Map0035-Sect24-AvernusCathedralExtBottom-HouseB.png BO1-Map0035-Sect23-AvernusCathedralExtBottom-HouseB-HouseC-Basement.png BO1-Map0035-Sect25-AvernusCathedralExtBottom-HouseC.png BO1-Map0035-Sect20-AvernusCathyExtBottom-MistHouseC.png|Mist Trail BO1-Map0035-Sect22-AvernusCathyExtBottom-MistHouseC-Crack.png|Mist Trail BO1-Map0035-Sect21-RuinedAvernus-Dungeon2-MistD1-CathyBottomMistC.png|Mist Trail Dungeon BO1-Map0035-Sect11-RuinedAvernus-Dungeon1-MistBI-MistN-MistD2.png|Mist Trail Dungeon *Avernus Cathedral contains perhaps the largest collection of religious themed imagery in the series, with no other building approaching its size or significance. The content and practice of the religion is not elaborated upon but superficially seems to bear a number of parallels to Medieval European Christianity. The introductions of the Hylden and Ancient vampires and their conflict later in the series may suggest a basis for this religion potentially implying that early humans may have worshipped the previous races - like the Feral humans of the Vampire Citadel - with this developing on the mainland into an organized religion. Thus the imagery seen throughout the Cathedral may be based upon the appearance and beliefs of the Ancient vampires, Hylden and their demon allies. Avernus was also the focal point for Nosgoth's alternate religion - the Hash'ak'gik cult and it was likely Cathedral was a front for this darker worship that eventually led to the possession of Mortanius and the corruption of the pillars themselves. *Two intact businesses can be seen in the Avernus city area - the Avernus Armory and Mccullock's Tavern - it is probable that the latter is named after developer Ken McCulloch. *When surveyed much of the Blood Omen's geography does not exactly match up to the scale shown on maps. Avernus is a special case in that it is very much larger on the inside than the area afforded to it on maps, though this could be considered a possibility in universe, given that it was Dimension Guardian Azimuth that held sway there. Gallery File:BO1-Render-Business-AvernusArmory.png| File:BO1-Render-Business-McCullockTavern.png File:BO1-Render-Signpost-Avernus-East.png File:BO1-Render-Signpost-Avernus-West.png See also * Avernus at Dark Chronicle (by Marie Tryhorn). * Avernus Cathedral and Catacombs at Dark Chronicle (by Marie Tryhorn). *Avernus Cathedral **Avernus Catacombs **Heaven **Hell **Earth Forge (Defiance) *Hash'ak'gik cult *Demons *Azimuth *Dimension Guardian *''Defeat Azimuth'' *''Seek Mortanius'' *''Return to the Guardian Citadel'' References Browse Category:Blood Omen Category:Browse Category:Defiance Category:Locations Category:Locations/Blood Omen villages Category:Locations/Blood Omen Category:Locations/Defiance major locations Category:Locations/Defiance Category:Locations/Nosgoth other locations Category:Locations/Nosgoth Category:Locations/Villages Category:Nosgoth it:Avernus